Multiple purpose drape

ABSTRACT

A drape for performing a plurality of individual surgical procedures on a patient&#39;&#39;s body. The drape includes a flexible main sheet having a lower and an upper surface which respectively contact and face away from the patient&#39;&#39;s body after placement of the drape, and the main sheet has a plurality of fenestrations located in the drape for performing a plurality of separate surgical procedures through the drape. The drape includes a plurality of cover sheets which are removably secured to the upper surface of the drape over the fenestrations. An individual cover sheet may be removed from the drape to perform a select surgical procedure through the associated fenestration, and the remaining cover sheets maintain a sterile barrier over the remaining fenestrations during the selected surgical procedure.

United States Patent 1191 Collins Mar. 26, 1974 MULTIPLE PURPOSE DRAPE[57] ABSTRACT [75] Inventor: Robert F. Collins, Barrington, 111. A drapefor performing a plurality of individual Surgi- [73] Assign: b g di ecal procedures on a patients body. The drape includes Mass a flexiblemain sheet having a lower and an upper surface which respectivelycontact and face away from [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1972 the patients bodyafter placement of the drape, and the main sheet has a plurality offenestrations located [21] Appl' 229019 in the drape for performing aplurality of separate surgical procedures through the drape. The drapein [52] US. Cl 128/132 D cludes a plurality of cover sheets which areremovably [51 Int. Cl A6lb 19/06 secured to the upper surface of thedrape over the fen- [58] Field of Search 128/132, 292, 2; 161/109,estrations. An individual cover sheet may be removed 161/113; 101/128.2from the drape to perform a select surgical procedure through theassociated fenestration, and the remaining [56] References Cited coversheets maintain a sterile barrier over the re- N E S S TE S mainingfenestrations during the selected surgical pro- 2,688,918 9/1954 Aaron101/1282 1,563,974 1l/l925 Catlin 128/2 A 3,695,260 [0/1972 Endres....128/132 D 3,667,458 6/1972 Krebs 128/132 D 10 Claims, 7 Drawing FiPrimary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-G. F. DunneAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Powell L. Sprunger 1 \Q) ZZZ/Q MULTIPLE PURPOSEDRAPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to drapes, and more particularly to surgical drapes.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, a various assortment ofdrapes have been proposed for surgical procedures, which are utilized tocover the body of a patient during the procedure and maintain a sterilebarrier around the operative site. However, before the presnt invention,such drapes have been provided with a fenestration at a particularlocation and of a size particularly suited for a single surgicalprocedure. Accordingly, it has been necessary for hospitals to maintaina stock of different drapes for performing different procedures, andselect the appropriate drape for a given operation.

Bennett U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,821 discloses a drape for surgery on theabdominal cavity, and de Lasarte U.S. Pat. No. 2,124,366 and Gerber U.S.Pat. No. 1,998,051 relate to clinical robes for patients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal feature of the present invention isthe provision of a drape for performing a plurality of separate surgicalprocedures on a patients body.

The drape of the present invention includes a flexible main sheet havingan upper and a lower surface which respectively contact and face awayfrom the patients body after placement of the drape. The main sheet hasa plurality of fenestrations located in the drape and of a sufficientsize for performing a plurality of individual surgical proceduresthrough a drape. The drape includes a plurality of cover sheets whichare removably secured to the upper surface of the drape over thefenestrations, with each of the cover sheets being suffrciently large tocover an associated fenestration.

A feature of the present invention is that an individual cover sheet maybe removed from the drape to perform a selected surgical procedurethrough its associated fenestration.

Another feature of the invention is that the remaining cover sheetsmaintain a sterile barrier over the remaining fenestrations during theselected surgical procedure.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of reinforcementstrips which are secured to the main sheet and which extend peripherallyaround the fenestrations.

Yet another feature of the invention is that the reinforcement stripsmay be secured to the upper surface of the main sheet, and the coversheets are adhered to the reinforcement strips peripherally around thefenestrations.

Still another feature of the invention is that the reinforcement stripsmay be secured to the lower surface of the main sheet, and the coversheets are adhered to the main sheet peripherally around thefenestrations.

Both the main sheet and reinforcement strips have peripheral edges whichextend around the fenestrations. The reinforcement strips may be securedto the upper surface of the main sheet, and the peripheral edges of thereinforcement strips may be set back from the peripheral edges of themain sheet in order to de fine marginal edges of the main sheetextending peripherally around the fenestrations.

Another feature of the invention is that the cover sheets may be adheredto the marginal edges of the main sheet peripherally around theassociated fenestrations.

The reinforcement strips may be secured to the lower surface of the mainsheet, and the peripheral edges of the main sheet may be set back fromthe peripheral edges of the reinforcement strips in order to definemarginal edges of the reinforcement strips extending peripherally aroundthe fenestrations.

A further feature of the invention is that the cover sheets may beadhered to the marginal edges of the reinforcement strips peripherallyaround the associated fenestrations.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the followingdescription of the embodiments of this invention and from the appendedclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a multiple purpose drape of the presentinvention, with a cover sheet on the drape being partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated along theline 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing a reinforcement strip secured to a mainsheet in the drape and a cover sheet removably secured to thereinforcement;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drape of FIG. 1 as positioned overthe body of a patient for performing a selected surgical procedure;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the structure of areinforcement strip, a cover sheet and a main sheet in the drape;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the structure of areinforcement strip, a cover sheet and a main sheet in the drape;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the structure of areinforcement strip, a cover sheet and a main sheet in the drape; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the structure of areinforcement strip, a cover sheet and a main sheet in the drape.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, asurgical drape designated generally 20 is shown having a flexible mainsheet 22 which preferably is of a sufficient size to substantially coverthe body of a patientpThe main sheet 22 has a lower surface 24 and anupper surface 26 which respectively contact and face away from thepatients body after placement of the drape, and the main sheet may bemade from any suitable material, such as cotton, nonwoven fabric, orplastic.

The main sheet 22 has a plurality of fenestrations 28a, 28b, 28c, and28d, defined by corresponding peripheral edges 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d inthe sheet, which are appropriately located in the drape and are ofasufficient size for performing a plurality of separate surgicalprocedures. For example, in the drape 20 as shown, the fenestrations28a, b, c, and d are particularly adapted for separately performinglaparotomy, mastectomy, thyroid, and craniotomy surgical procedures,respectively. However, it is understood that fenestrations may beappropriately located in the drape for many other possible combinationsof surgical procedures, such as transverse laparotomy, laminectomy, andhemorrhoidectomy.

Preferably, the drape 20 has a plurality of reinforcement strips 32a,32b, 32c, and 32d secured to the upper surface 26 of the main sheet 22,and extending peripherally around the associated fenestrations 28a, b,c, and d. The reinforcement strips 32a, b, c, and d may be made from anysuitable material, such as plastic or a laminate or nonwoven fabric andpolyethylene, and the reinforcement strips are secured to the main sheet22 by suitable means, such as heat sealing, adhesives, or crimping. Thereinforcement strips also have peripheral edges 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34dwhich extend around the associated fenestrations 280, b, c, and d, andin this embodiment of the invention, the peripheral edges of thereinforcement strips are coextensive with the peripheral edges of themain sheet 22. The reinforcement strips serve to strengthen the sheet 22in the region around the fenestrations, and provide a fluidimperviousbarrier to prevent passage of liquid through the drape 20 whileperforming a surgical procedure.

The drape 20 includes a plurality of cover sheets 36a, 36b, 36c, and 36dwhich are removably secured to the upper surface of the drape overassociated fenestrations 28a, b, c, and d, respectively, and each of thecover sheets is sufficiently large to cover the associated fenestration.The cover sheets may be made of any suit-. able material such asnonwoven fabric, polyethylene, or a laminate of polyethylene andnonwoven fabric. In this embodiment of the invention, the cover sheetsare removably secured to the upper surface of the reinforcement stripsby suitable means, such as adhesive 38 extending peripherally around thefenestrations. However, it is contemplated that the reinforcement stripsmay be omitted from the drape, and the cover sheets may be removablysecured to the main sheet without the reinforcement strips.

In use, the drape 20 is positioned over the body of the patient, asshown in FIG. 3, and the appropriate cover sheet is removed from thedrape to expose the associated fenestration for a selected surgicalprocedure. Since the remaining cover sheets are secured to the drapeduring the selected surgical procedure, they continue to cover andmaintain a sterile barrier over the remaining fenestrations whileperforming the selected surgical procedure. Accordingly, a single drapemay be utilized for a plurality of different surgical procedures, andeliminates the necessity of maintaining a supply of separate drapes forthe various surgical procedures to be performed.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4, in whichreference numerals are incremented by a hundred to designate like parts.In this embodiment, reinforcement strips 132 are secured to the lowersurface 124 of the main sheet 122 of the drape 120, with the peripheraledges 134 and 130 of the reinforcement strips and main sheet,respectively, being coextensive, as previously described. The coversheets 136 are removably secured by adhesive 138 to the upper surface126 of the main sheet 122 over the fenestrations 128.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 5, in whichreinforcement strips 232 are secured to the lower surface 224 of themain sheet 222 of the drape 220. However, in this embodiment, theperipheral edges 230 of the main sheet 222 are set back from theperipheral edges 234 of the reinforcement strips 232 in order to definemarginal edges 250 of the reinforcement strips 232 which extendperipherally around the associated fenestrations 228. The cover sheets236 are removably secured to the marginal edges 250 of the reinforcementstrips by adhesive 238 extending peripherally around the fenestrations228.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 6, in whichthe reinforcement strips 332 are secured to the upper surface 326 of themain sheet 322 of the drape 320. In this embodiment, the peripheraledges 334 of the reinforcement strips 332 are set back from theperipheral edges 330 of the main sheet 322 in order to define marginaledges 350 of the main sheet 322 extending peripherally around thefenestrations 328. The cover sheets 336 are removably secured to themarginal edges 350 of the main sheet peripherally around thefenestrations 328 by adhesive 338.

A similar embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 7.Reinforcement strips 432 are secured to the upper surface 426 of themain sheet 422, and the cover sheets 436 are removably secured to themarginal edges 450 of the main sheet, as before. However, in thisembodiment, the peripheral edges 434 of the reinforcement strips 432 areset back a sufficient distance from the peripheral edges 430 of the mainsheet 422, such that the peripheral edges 434 extend around peripheraledges 460 of the cover sheets 436.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A sterile drape for performing a plurality of separate surgicalprocedures on a patients body, comprismg:

a flexible main sheet having a lower and an upper surface respectivelycontacting and facing away from the patients body after placement of thedrape, said main sheet having a plurality of individually shapedfenestrations located in the drape and of a sufficient size forperforming a plurality of individual surgical procedures through thedrape;

a plurality of flexible cover sheets removably secured to the uppersurface of the drape around said fenestrations to maintain a sterilebarrier over said fenestrations, each of said cover sheets beingsufficiently large to cover an associated fenestration, with a lowercentral portion of the cover sheets being non-adherent and facingthrough the fenestrations, such that an individual cover sheet may beremoved from the drape to expose the underlying portion of the patientsbody and perform a selected surgical procedure through its associatedfenestration, while the remaining cover sheets maintain a sterilebarrier over the remaining fenestrations during the selected surgicalprocedure; and

a plurality of separate flexible reinforcement strips secured to themain sheet, each of said reinforcement strips extending peripherallyaround one of said fenestrations.

2. The drape of claim 1 wherein said cover sheets are adhered to thedrape.

3. The drape of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement strips are secured tothe upper surface of said main sheet.

4. The drape of claim 3 wherein said main sheet and reinforcement stripshave coextensive peripheral edges extending around the fenestrations.

5. The drape of claim 4 wherein said cover sheets are adhered to thereinforcement strips around the peripheries of the associatedfenestrations.

6. The drape of claim 3 wherein said main sheet and reinforcement stripshave peripheral edges extending around said fenestrations, theperipheral edges of said reinforcement strips are set back from theperipheral edges of the main sheet defining marginal edges of the mainsheet extending peripherally around the fenestrations, and said coversheets are adhered to the marginal edges of the main sheet peripherallyaround the associated fenestrations.

7. The drape of claim 6 wherein the peripheral edges of thereinforcement strips are set back sufficiently from the peripheral edgesof the main sheet for the peripheral edges of the reinforcement stripsto extend around peripheral edges of the cover sheets.

8. The drape of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement strips are secured tothe lower surface of said main sheet.

9. The drape of claim 8 wherein said main sheet and reinforcement stripshave coextensive peripheral edges extending around the fenestrations.

10. The drape of claim 8 wherein said main sheet and reinforcementstrips have peripheral edges extending around said fenestrations, theperipheral edges of the main sheet are set back from the peripheraledges of the reinforcement strips defining marginal edges of thereinforcement strips extending peripherally around the fenestrations,and said cover sheets are adhered to the marginal edges of thereinforcement strips peripherally around the associated fenestrations.

1. A sterile drape for performing a plurality of separate surgicalprocedures on a patient''s body, comprising: a flexible main sheethaving a lower and an upper surface respectively contacting and facingaway from the patient''s body after placement of the drape, said mainsheet having a plurality of individually shaped fenestrations located inthe drape and of a sufficient size for performing a plurality ofindividual surgical procedures through the drape; a plurality offlexible cover sheets removably secured to the upper surface of thedrape around said fenestrations to maintain a sterile barrier over saidfenestrations, each of said cover sheets being sufficiently large tocover an associated fenestration, with a lower central portion of thecover sheets being non-adherent and facing through the fenestrations,such that an individual cover sheet may be removed from the drape toexpose the underlying portion of the patient''s body and perform aselected surgical procedure through its associated fenestration, whilethe remaining cover sheets maintain a sterile barrier over the remainingfenestrations during the selected surgical procedure; and a plurality ofseparate flexible reinforcement strips secured to the main sheet, eachof said reinforcement strips extending peripherally around one of saidfenestrations.
 2. The drape of claim 1 wherein said cover sheets areadhered to the drape.
 3. The drape of claim 1 wherein said reinforcementstrips are secured to the upper surface of said main sheet.
 4. The drapeof claim 3 wherein said main sheet and reinforcement strips havecoextensive peripheral edges extending around the fenestrations.
 5. Thedrape of claim 4 wherein said cover sheets are adhered to thereinforcement strips around the peripheries of the associatedfenestrations.
 6. The drape of claim 3 wherein said main sheet andreinforcement strips have peripheral edges extending around saidfenestrations, the peripheral edges of said reinforcement strips are setback from the peripheral edges of the main sheet defining marginal edgesof the main sheet extending peripherally around the fenestrations, andsaid cover sheets are adhered to the marginal edges of the main sheetperipherally around the associated fenestrations.
 7. The drape of claim6 wherein the peripheral edges of the reinforcement strips are set backsufficiently from the peripheral edges of the main sheet for theperipheral edges of the reinforcement strips to extend around peripheraledges of the cover sheets.
 8. The drape of claim 1 wherein saidreinforcement strips are secured to the lower surface of said mainsheet.
 9. The drape of claim 8 wherein said main sheet and reinforcementstrips have coextensive peripheral edges extending around thefenestrations.
 10. The drape of claim 8 wherein said main sheet andreinforcement strips have peripheral edges extending around saidfenestrations, the peripheral edges of the main sheet are set back fromthe peripheral edges of the reinforcement strips defining marginal edgesof the reinforcement strips extending peripherally around Thefenestrations, and said cover sheets are adhered to the marginal edgesof the reinforcement strips peripherally around the associatedfenestrations.